Cold water inlet control valve



Jan. 3, 1933.

L. D. LOVEKIN 1,892,674

COLD WATER INLET CONTROL VALVE Filed June 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan.3,1933. 1WD LQVEKW 1,892,674

COLD WATER INLET CONTROL VALVE Filed June 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUTHER D. LOVEKIN, OF VILLA NOVA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO KITSON COM- PANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA COLD WATER INLET coiv'rnor. VALVE Application filed June 10,

'My invention relates to a combination fit- 1 ting for application to a boiler or water heater with particular reference to a boiler or water heater permitting a back flow of water out of the boiler or heater into the cold water supply line thereof when or if the pressure inside the boiler or heater abnormally rises from expansion of the heated water.

A purpose of my invention is to combine .10 a coldwater inlet fitting at a boiler or heater of the character indicated with an emergency shut-off of the fuel to the boiler or heater.

A further purpose is to provide a desirable form of combination bi-conduit fitting in which the flow in one conduit of the fitting is adapted to effect a closure of flow through the other conduit thereof ifthe temperature of the first flow becomes unduly high.

A further purpose is to use an abnormal backing of hot water out of a boiler or heater into the cold water supply line thereof to operate an emergency shut-01f of the fuel to the boiler or heater.

A further purpose is to use the abnormal increased and increasing volume of the water inside a heater of the character indicated incident to any abnormal high and increasing temperature of the water of the heater to shut off the fuel to the heater before the heater can generate steam.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

I have elected to show one main form only of my invention, showing however minor detail modifications and selecting a main form and minor modifications thereof that are practical and efiicient in operation and which well illustrate the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a transverse section through structure embodying a desirable form of my tation and referring to the drawings 2-- 1-930. Serial No. 460,183.

I show in Figure 2 a boiler or water heater 5 that is intended for a conventional showing of any boiler or heater of the character indicated.

The pipes 6, 7 and 8 are respectively coldsv water and gas supply pipes and a hot water outlet pipe, the gas'pipc feeding anysuitable burner of the boiler or heater, not shown, and the cold water supply pipe coming from any supply reservoir, not shown.

A chimney for the heater is indicated at 10.

At a point close to the boiler I provide the pipes 6 and 7 with a combination fitting 11 which provides a cold wa'terinlet and emergency gas shut-off.

The water pipe connections before the combinat-ion fitting 11 include any usual or suitable connections, not shown, permitting the water to back into the cold water line from the heater, and I use a small outflow of hot water into the cold water inlet pipe and through the lower conduit portion 12 of the comb nation fitting to operate an emergency cut-ofi" valve in the upper conduit portion of the fitting. l

The bi-conduit combination fitting 11 includes T 12 and valve casing 14: that respectively comprise portions of the water and gas supply lines to the heater.

The T 12 which may be of any suitable or usual type, receives in one of its outlets an externally threaded hollow shank 15 of the valve casing 14.

hen. as in the illustration, the combination fitting 11 is to be placed at the top of the heater. I usually connect the threaded shank of the valve easing into an end outlet of the T. but the shank preferably threads either into an end or in o the middle outlet of the T according to which is most convenient to the piping requirements.

The end of the hollow shank extends preferably some distance into the interior of the fitting 12. its hollow forming a well enclosing fuse element 16 of the valve member.

The bodv of the valve is shown of the'globe type with its valve seat 17 and port 18 axially in ne with the well 15.

The fuel. ordinarily gas. passes through the valve from the inlet 19 through the port 18 to the outlet 20 whence it passes through the pipe 7 to heat the boiler.

The movable portion of the valve includes an assembly mounted on a stem 21, the stem carrying an intermediate valve element 22, a skirt 23 sliding in cap member 32 and extending toward the upper end of the stem, and the stem at its lower end telescoping into a cartridge 24.

The cartridge 24 loosely fits into the well 15 and includes an internally threaded upwardly directed cup 25, a bushing 26, and the fuse element 16.

The bushing 26 is externally loosely threaded into the cup and internally loosely surrounds and swivels upon the lower end of the stem 21, a pin 27 through the stem preventing removal of the bushing from the stem so that the cartridge lifts out as a portion of the stem assembly when this assembly is removed.

The fuse element 16 is desirably a fuse disc supported upon an annular shoulder 28 of the cup member and supports the bottom of the stem 21 above a hollow lower portion 29 of the cup which should have an interior diameter suitably larger than that of the stem.

The interior of the well and the outside of the cartridge are desirably spaced slightly so as to make it more easy to insert and withdraw the cartridge from the well. Sufficient contact for heat transfer is made at 28.

The stem 21 carries the valve disc 22 above the valve seat 17 and is spring pressed downwardly by a barrel spring 30 compressed between the skirt 23 and the end wall of a recess 31 in a cap member 32 screwed into the valve body at 33.

The interior of the cap forms a cylindrical loose guide at 3 1 for the cylindrical outwardly directed skirt 23 upon the upper side of the valve 22.

The valve is thus loosely guided below at 35 by the swivel connection between the stem and cartridge and above at 34 by the swivel gonneetion between the skirt and cap mem- I desirably provide the well with a loose cover plate 36 resting on a shoulder 37. It loosely surrounds the stem of the valve, insulates the cartridge by a dead air space and prevents tar, etc. from dropping down into this space.

Upon removal of the cap 32 the valve assembly including skirt 23, valve element 22, stem 21, cover 36 and cartridge 2% lifts out through the threaded opening for the cappermitting very easy removal of a ruptured fuse disc.

I have shown the stem 21 enlarged toward its upper end and reduced in diameter inwardly from the outer end at 39 to make the stem more easily taken hold of during removal and insertion of the valve assembly.

The enlarged portion is provided with an 16 bein inside the cartrid e 24 which is ina side the well 15 and surrounded by the water within the T member 12.

If the water of the heater becomes abnormally hot and expansion flow takes place back through the cold water inlet into and through the T 12, the resultant heating of the fusible element softening the element to a point where it is no longer able to support the lower end of the stem 21 against the pressure of the spring disc and closing the valve, thereby shutting off the flow of fuel to the burner of the heater. Heat conduction from the boiler through the piping G will. assist in this.

The valve remains closed until the cap 32 is removed, a new fusible element inserted and the valve reset, in practice a very simple and easy operation.

While I prefer to extend the hollow of the shank 15 some distance into the interior" of the T 12 as indicated in Figure 1, whereby the fusible element 16 within the hollow of the shank is surrounded by the water within the T 12, all that is essential is an adequate heat conducting connection between the in-' terior of the member 12 and the fuse 16 and in Figures 3 and 1 I illustrate the fuse element wholly outside the T 12.

In Figure 3 the fuse element 16 is spaced some little distance beyond the end of the T, the hollow of the shank 15 is shown extending a little way into the threaded end of the T with a solid end 46 of the shank projecting a little way into the interior of the T.

This arrangement permits the use of a T member 12 of relatively small dimensions which is sometimes quite advantageous.

lVhen the hot water flows back into and through the fitting 12 the heat flows to the fuse 16 by the conduction through the shank 15, both directly from tl e hot water within the T and from the adjacent walls of the T 12 and the fuse element softening under this abnormal heat permits spring closure of the valve 22 as already described.

The structure shown in Figure 1 provides a heat conducting connection between the fuse and hot interior of the T 12 that less direct than that of Figure 1 and more direct than that of Figure 3.

30, the stem driving through the- As illustrated the bottom of the fuse element is even with the end of the T, the hollow of the shank 15 extends substantially through the threaded end of the T but not into the T interior while the solid end 46' extends well into the T interior.

Each form has some advantages as co1n pared to the others and may be preferable under some circumstances.

It is obvious that the thermostatic element may be widely variant.

In the structure of Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 I have used the failure of a fuse element to close the valve in the fuel supply line and on account of its absolute certainty of action have usually preferred to use a fusible metal element for an emergency shut down rather than a bi-nietal element.

However the bi-metal element has many advantages which make it often preferable, particularly if it is to operate at not infrequent intervals. These advantages include an adaptation to operate over and over without injury to the element itself, and a very easy determination of the operating temperature without a destruction test of the thermostatic element.

It will be obvious that the term heater is broad enough to include not only what is normally so called, but any type of boiler or tank in which a corresponding heating function is performed.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A T, an emergency shut-off valve having a hollow shank threading into the T and projecting into the interior thereof, a fusible element inside the shank and adapted to soften at high temperature, avalve assembly including a stem supported upon the fusible element, a valve and a spring pressing the assembly against the fuse element and a valve seat normally spaced from the valve and adapted to be closed by movement of the valve incident to softening of the element and responsive to the spring.

2. A combination bi-conduit fitting, one conduit including inlet and outlet compartments, an intermediate wall between the compartments and a valve seat opening therethrough, one of the compartments having a lateral opening and the other a well extending into the other conduit, a removable cap closure for the lateral opening, a movable valve assembly insertable and removable at 

